Protector
by RySenkari
Summary: After the revelation that changed life in the enchanted forest forever, Honeymaren has taken up adventuring greater and greater distances from the place she calls home. On a walk one day, while lost in thoughts of the forest's new protector, she's approached by a group of outsiders who threaten to shatter her peaceful life. Set after the events of Frozen II, will contain spoilers.


The clean, cool air smelled faintly of cinnamon as Honeymaren ran across the grassy ground, taking in all the sights and sounds of a beautiful spring day. It had been several months since the enchanted forest where she'd spent her entire life had been freed from the curse inflicted upon it so many years before, and in that time, she'd tried to see as much of the world outside the forest as she could. She'd seen the icy floes that bordered the treacherous Dark Sea. She'd walked the streets of Arendelle, though the city was much too loud and busy for her and she found that she preferred the wilderness and the comforts of home. She'd walked the plains outside the forest, seeing the animals roam freely and rolling in the grass for as long as she could, experiencing so many things for the first time.

And through all those months of freedom, her loved ones were a constant presence. The Northuldra, who'd always been her family and always would be. Her brother Ryder, who could be a pain at times but who she loved quite dearly. Her new friends, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf, who didn't visit the forest often but who she always made time for when they did, loving Anna's zest for adventure and Kristoff's dopey kindness and Olaf's humorous statements.

And of course, the one who had made all of this possible. The fifth spirit, the protector of the enchanted forest and the Northuldra and all the flora and fauna that lived alongside them.

Honeymaren cared deeply about Elsa. The two had become friends almost immediately after they'd met one another, and after Elsa stepped into her true power and became the guardian spirit of the Northuldra, the two had become even closer. Though Elsa spent much of her time away from people, traveling the land with the other forest spirits and perfecting her powers even further, she made a point to visit the Northuldra often, and Honeymaren especially.

The two had become quite close, almost like sisters... at least that's what Elsa had told her. It was Honeymaren who'd suggested that Elsa leave Arendelle to make a home in the forest, and was as surprised as anyone when she chose to do so. Though Honeymaren knew that Elsa had come to live near the forest for many reasons, she liked to believe that she was the most important one, even if she knew that probably wasn't true.

She also liked to believe that Elsa felt as strongly about her as she did about Elsa, but that probably wasn't true either. Elsa seemed to like being alone, even if she cared deeply about her friends and loved ones, and Honeymaren was willing to accept that, even if she still harbored dreams that perhaps Elsa's feelings would grow deeper someday.

And as Honeymaren found herself exiting the grassy prairie and entering a plain of tundra, where the snow had not yet melted and the tall mountains loomed in the distance, she felt the cool wind upon her face and entertained those thoughts of Elsa again.

_Stop kidding yourself, Honeymaren. You're just a normal person, and she's a spirit. She's THE spirit. What's a normal person to the protector spirit of the realm? She's a friend and nothing more, and I can accept that. _

Normally, Honeymaren would be riding on a reindeer, but she had felt like taking a long walk, and she enjoyed the sensation of the partially frozen ground crunching beneath her feet. She also liked being out here alone, but before she could take the time to fully embrace her solitude, she saw three people on horseback coming toward her, their silhouettes faint in the mid-day sun.

_Strangers, _she thought to herself, knowing that only outsiders would be on horses rather than on reindeer. Outsiders had been an increasingly frequent sight as of late, especially after the harshest part of the most recent winter. News of the freeing of the enchanted forest had spread far and wide, and people from all across the realm had come to see the new sights for themselves. Though the Northuldran elders were wary of such outsiders, Honeymaren was mostly welcoming, especially since Elsa was there to protect them from anyone who wished to harm the forest or its creatures. Even though the Northuldra had been betrayed in the past, Honeymaren agreed with Elsa that fear was the real enemy and that they should be welcoming. Still, she took reasonable precautions, arming herself with a small dagger when she went out alone. She was ready to welcome new friends, but also to protect herself should the need arise.

As the strangers on horseback approached, Honeymaren welcomed them warmly, a slight smile on her face as they stopped and she walked over. They all looked to be young men, perhaps soldiers from a nearby realm, though they were dressed in furs similar to those worn by hunters or trappers. If they'd come to hunt, she was ready to let them know that the enchanted forest was off limits to them. If they'd come in peace, she was ready to answer any questions they might have about the forest and what had recently transpired.

"Hello there," said Honeymaren. "What brings you to this part of the world?"

"Many things," said the man riding in front, who seemed to be their leader. "We heard there was an enchanted forest here. The legends of a disappeared people, and of a frozen river called Ahtohallan. Would you know anything about that?"

_So they ARE tourists, _thought Honeymaren, keeping her smile but resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She'd told the story many a time in recent days, and though she was proud of her forest and her people, she'd also tired somewhat of telling the story of the fifth spirit and the forest's freedom over and over again. She decided she'd give them an abridged version this time around. "The legends are true, but we Northuldra are very much alive and well."

"That's good to hear," said the man, turning to one of his friends. "Looks like we've got a real live Northuldran right here."

"Better than some reindeer I'd say," said the man's companion, turning to the third amongst them. "What do you think?" 

"I think she's perfect."

"...huh?" stammered Honeymaren, raising an eyebrow. "Are you talking about me?"

"Indeed we are," said the leader, as he and his companions dismounted their horses. "Didn't expect to find you all alone out here, either. Where's the rest of your group?"

"I'm... out here by myself," said Honeymaren, her voice getting increasingly nervous as the three men walked toward her. _And I don't like the looks of this one bit, these guys are creeping me out!_

"Hey, we just wanna talk," said the leader, extending his hand toward Honeymaren. Meanwhile, she could see one of his companions reaching for something clipped to his belt... a set of ropes with weights dangling at each end.

_I've seen one of those before, some of the hunters use them to catch reindeer... but I don't see any reindeer in sight! _Honeymaren didn't want to wait up to see what the three men wanted to talk about, and she turned to flee, only for the man holding the bolo to toss it at her legs. It wrapped around her ankles and tangled them up, causing her to fall face first to the ground. "Ooof!"

As soon as she hit the ground, Honeymaren realized that she should've started running a lot sooner. Now, it was too late to run, but not too late to fight. As the three men all advanced toward her, she pulled out her dagger. She intended at first simply to cut her legs free, but one of the men lunged at her and she slashed outward in a defensive manner.

"Get away from me!" she screamed, swinging her knife fiercely but not as hard as she could. She didn't want to kill her attackers, only defend herself. She managed to slash across the hand of the man lunging at her, but he quickly overpowered her, grabbing her by the wrist and squeezing hard. "Don't touch me!"

The man twisted her wrist, forcing a loud cry out of Honeymaren and forcing her to drop the dagger onto the ground. While the first man held her arms, another quickly restrained her kicking legs. As fierce and as strong as Honeymaren was, it was currently two on one, and both of these men were significantly larger and heavier than her. She had no chance of fighting back, and had soon been turned onto her stomach, her wrists being held tightly behind her back as the leader fetched some ropes from a saddlebag and tossed them to his two subordinates.

"Tie her up, quickly!"

"No!" Honeymaren protested, continuing to at least try to struggle and kick, though with both men holding her, she was unable to do much more than squirm. The attacker holding her arms quickly crossed and bound them behind her back, wrapping several loops of rope tightly around her wrists and securing them together. "What are you doing, what do you want from me?"

"I gotta confess, we didn't come all the way out here thinking we were gonna come back with a girl," said the leader. "We came hunting for reindeer pelts, we heard they were pretty easy to get out here."

"So you're nothing but poachers, then!" Honeymaren shouted at them as the men continued to bind her, one of them wrapping ropes around her arms and midsection to pin her bound wrists even more securely to her back, while the other tied her thighs together as tightly as her ankles had been bound with the bolos. "The Northuldra live in harmony with nature, we don't hunt unless it's absolutely necessary!"

"Oh yes, you Northuldra have no concept of money," said one of the men, as he finished binding up Honeymaren's arms. "You live off the land and share everything and sing campfire songs all day and night like a bunch of naïve idiots."

"How _dare _you," spat Honeymaren, giving her captors a furious glare.

"I think we made her mad," said the man who'd just finished securing Honeymaren's thighs, standing up to admire his handiwork as his companion hauled the captive Northuldran woman to her feet. "Good thing we tied her up so tight, I bet she's a fighter."

"I know she is," said one of the others, holding up his bloodied hand.

"I got something for that," said the leader, fishing some rags out of the saddlebag.

"You can't just wrap it up, it'll get infected," said Honeymaren. "I could treat that for you if you'd untie me."

The men laughed amongst themselves as the leader took one of the rags and used it as a crude bandage to tie around his companion's wound.

"You think we believe a word you say?" asked the leader, walking around to face Honeymaren as she continued squirming in the ropes. "And what would someone like you know about treating a wound?"

"There's an herb that grows in the enchanted forest, it forces out the infection. If you untie me right now, I'll take you there and heal your hand, and then we can forget this ever happened if you promise to leave and never return."

Honeymaren didn't know why she was so willing to help these poachers after they'd just revealed their intentions to kill her and slaughter reindeer, but she almost felt sorry for them... caring so deeply about money that they'd be willing to kill and kidnap in order to get it. She was still furious with them, but she felt sympathy for them as well... and above all, she was frightened and wanted this to be over.

"We're not going anywhere except back to Taarvassan with you," said the leader, placing a gloved hand on Honeymaren's cheek. "There's only a few things that fetch more coin than a big pile of reindeer pelts, and that's girls... young, pretty girls."

Honeymaren's eyes widened, and she let out a gasp. Even though she'd been raised in the enchanted forest, she knew exactly what the man meant by 'girls'. Whispers of the darkest impulses of humanity had penetrated even the fog surrounding the enchanted forest, in the form of stories she'd heard Mattias and his fellow guards talk about in hushed whispers around a campfire. Port cities, where human flesh was traded like common currency, where girls were sold to men whose lust had consumed their hearts.

"No..." she whispered, shaking her head. "You can't!"

"I wonder how much we could get for a Northuldran girl?" he said, continuing to stroke her cheek. Honeymaren twisted her head away in shock and revulsion, and her struggles resumed, even with one of the men holding her back.

"You monster!" she shouted, her voice a mixture of fear and rage. "I won't let you! I won't let you get away with this! You can't do this to me!"

As Honeymaren continued to protest, her body twisting and thrashing, one of the men approached her from behind.

"You're all sick! All of you! I'll never go with you, I won't stop fighting! I won't-"

Honeymaren soon found herself stifled by a knot of fabric being pulled into her mouth from behind. She retched at the taste of the filthy rag that was now being forced past her teeth, as it was pulled and secured in another tight knot behind her head. Her muffled protests continued as she bit down hard into the thick cloth, trying to rub her face on her shoulder in a futile attempt to dislodge the gag. Meanwhile, as the leader made his way back to his horse, the other two men hoisted Honeymaren up and dragged her, kicking and screaming, toward the horse to be secured as cargo.

_No, NO! This can't be happening, _she thought, struggling and screaming with all her might as she was lifted up onto the horse. _Don't do this to me!_

The thought of being taken away from her homeland, never to see her loved ones again, was absolutely horrifying, even moreso than the thought of being sold into depraved slavery. Her eyes began to involuntarily water, and as fear began to grip her, her muffled screams were less protests of anger, but cries for help. She begged for someone, anyone to come to her rescue, but alone in the wilderness like this, miles from the enchanted forest, she was well and truly helpless, and she knew no one would be coming.

"There you go, you'd best calm down before we get riding, or we might have to tie you up even tighter," said the leader, as his two companions finished securing Honeymaren to the back of the horse with ropes tied tightly around her chest and the horse's sides. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride too, so you'd better try to hang on..."

The three men shared a laugh amongst themselves as Honeymaren managed one more glare with a tear sliding down the side of her face.

_I can't let these monsters see me cry... _thought Honeymaren, though as she closed her eyes and felt more tears come, she knew that would be an impossibility. _This really is happening. They're really going to take me away to be sold._

Honeymaren lifted up her head and cried out for help once more. Even with the knotted cloth stifling her screams, it was still loud enough to be heard over the din of the men's laughter, and was also loud enough to get the leader's attention.

"Scream yourself hoarse, it doesn't matter," said the leader, reaching behind his back to place a hand on Honeymaren's backside. "Anyway... keep it up and maybe the three of us'll sample the goods before we get to Taarvassan."

"I dunno, don't they pay more for virgins?" asked one of the men.

"Yeah, but they usually don't check," said the leader, looking back into Honeymaren's eyes. "Besides... something tells me none of you Northuldran girls are virgins anyway."

Honeymaren muffled a Northuldran curse into her gag, but could do little else more than struggle and scream as the three horses began to ride off.

_No help in sight, no help for miles! _Honeymaren thought, her eyes scanning her surroundings. _No sign of Ryder, no sign of anyone...! Spirits, help me...!_

The men continued to ride off across the tundra, laughing and joking amongst themselves as Honeymaren continued to struggle and scream. Terror began to grip her as the horses carried her further and further away from the enchanted forest... from her loved ones... from home.

And in that terror, Honeymaren felt a chill up and down her entire body. Despite the warmth of the clothes she was wearing, she could feel the air grow cold across her skin.

"Damn," cursed one of the men, holding his arm up to shield his face. "Is there a storm coming?"

"It's like the temperature dropped thirty degrees all of a sudden..." muttered the leader, though there wasn't a single snowflake in sight.

Honeymaren could feel it too... the air getting colder and colder... she thought it was fear, but her captors could also feel it. She went silent. Her eyes went wide.

_It couldn't be...!_

The three men continued to ride, but as it kept getting colder, they all stopped, and soon, a fog began to roll in.

And through the fog came a silhouetted figure, a figure that shifted and roiled like the north wind itself. The men, and Honeymaren, all stared at the silhouette as it approached. The men didn't know what it was... but Honeymaren knew.

A beautiful woman stepped out of the fog, clad in white, her hair the same color, long and flowing in the perfectly still air, as if generating its own wind. The men grew colder and colder as she approached. Honeymaren felt a familiar warmth.

_Elsa._

"Let her go," the woman said, her eyes narrow in defiance and anger. "Now."

_Elsa! _Honeymaren muffled through her gag, her struggles ceasing.

"Wait a minute... you're that witch! The ice witch, the one who froze an entire realm!"

The men dismounted their horses and advanced toward Elsa. One of them produced another bolo like the one still binding Honeymaren's ankles. Elsa continued to walk toward them without a word. The man holding the bolo threw it, but before it flew even halfway to Elsa, it froze and hit the ground, shattering into pieces.

"I said let her go," said Elsa again, raising her hand. "I won't tell you a third time."

The three men were trembling, but weren't about to give up their prize without a fight. The three of them ran at Elsa, who immediately lifted up the ice around them. They now found themselves encased from the neck down in blocks of solid ice that loosely conformed to the shape of their bodies. Only their heads were left uncovered, now shaking from both cold and from fear.

"How...?" stammered the leader, as Elsa walked wordlessly past them and toward Honeymaren.

_Elsa...I should have known you'd find me, _thought Honeymaren, breathing a relieved sigh through her nose as Elsa reached up to untie her from the horse. Soon, Honeymaren found herself once again in a standing position, and Elsa was reaching up to remove her gag. _Thank you..._

"Are you okay?" Elsa asked, the rage that had once filled her voice now replaced by concern. She untied the knotted cloth from Honeymaren's head and let it fall to the ground without a word, the once captive taking a deep breath of fresh air after the foul fabric was removed.

"I've been better..." she replied softly, "...but I'll be okay."

"Thank the spirits for that," said Elsa.

"Thank you," said Honeymaren quickly, smiling for the first time since her ordeal began.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean..." stammered Elsa, awkwardly blushing and raising her hand to her mouth.

"I know what you meant," replied Honeymaren, managing a quick giggle. "But seriously, thank you. If you hadn't come..."

"Did they hurt you?" asked Elsa, before shooting another angry glare at the trapped and shivering men.

"No... but they were going to," replied Honeymaren. "They planned to sell me into slavery at the port of Taarvassan..."

Elsa's eyes went briefly wide, and as she held one hand up to her lips, her other hand was clenched in rage. One of Honeymaren's former captors whimpered behind Elsa's back, while another stammered through chattering teeth that they weren't really going to sell anyone. Elsa said nothing. She reached up and touched the ropes around Honeymaren's chest, and with a thought, they were frozen solid, and fell off of her with a loud crack. The ropes around Honeymaren's thighs were next, followed by the ropes around her wrists, leaving Honeymaren to untie the bolo from her ankles as Elsa turned and walked toward the three trapped men.

"Elsa..." said Honeymaren quietly. Elsa looked back at her and gave a slight nod before approaching the three still trapped in ice.

"Please...please!" stammered the leader, looking at Elsa in horror. "We... we weren't going to hurt her!"

"No, you were just going to sell her into sexual slavery," said Elsa, her hand pointed at the ice encasing the three men.

"We were just-"

"ENOUGH!" shouted Elsa, a shockwave of cold emanating from her body and blasting the three men's exposed faces for a brief moment with the coldest sensation they'd ever felt.

"Please...!" shouted another of the three men, his tears of terror freezing to his face from the sheer cold as he begged Elsa for his life. "I'll never do anything like this again, I swear!"

"And why would I believe the pathetic words of three kidnappers who make money off the misery of others? Why should I release you, when you'll only do this again the moment you get the chance?"

The men were now too terrified to speak or to beg. Honeymaren looked on, not knowing what to think herself. Part of her wanted Elsa to have mercy and spare them... part of her didn't want to see her beloved Elsa as a murderer... but part of her knew that Elsa's words rang true, that these men had tried to do something horrible to her once, and if given the chance, would do it to someone else... and this time they might succeed.

So she remained silent, not knowing what to say, hoping Elsa would do the right thing... whatever that was.

Elsa stood facing the three men, rage and cold emanating from her body. They were helpless to stop her from doing whatever it is that she wanted to do... and knew in that moment that they were going to die.

Three large spikes of ice emerged from the ground. The men screamed... and the spikes stopped just an inch from their necks. She walked right up to the leader, but looked at all of them, wanting each of them to remember the words she was about to say.

"If I ever see any of you anywhere near the enchanted forest... if I ever hear even a whisper, or a single rumor, of any of you harming another living thing... I _will _kill you, without hesitation. Do you understand?"

The men nodded. Elsa continued to look at them to make absolutely sure they understood. They nodded again.

And with a wave of her hand, the spikes retreated, and the ice shattered, freeing the three poachers. They all fell to the ground on their knees, trembling but unharmed. Elsa stood over them, poised to carry out her threat if any of them made a threatening move toward her or Honeymaren.

"Now go," said Elsa.

The three men all staggered to their feet, mounted their horses, and rode off into the distance, the looks of fear never leaving their faces. Elsa didn't know if her words had made an impression on them, but as they rode away, she let out a sigh and clutched her arms tightly to her chest, breathing heavily.

"Elsa... are you okay?" asked Honeymaren.

"I... don't know," she replied, looking back at her friend. "I've never had to threaten anyone like that before."

"Were you going to kill them?"

"...no," said Elsa, though the fact that she even had to think about her answer gave her pause, and she sighed again. "I've never taken a life, and I hope I never will."

"I do too," said Honeymaren. The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Honeymaren leaned forward and hugged Elsa tightly, as all the emotion of the past hour flooded back to her. She felt all of that anger, fear, and despair rush into her and out again, and in that catharsis, she gave a single sob, her face buried in Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay," she said, softly caressing her friend's back. Honeymaren continued to hold Elsa for a long while, and Elsa returned her embrace as long as Honeymaren needed her too.

"What, no 'what were you thinking going out into the wilderness alone'?" Honeymaren asked with a sniffle, expecting Elsa to scold her like she was sure the elders would have.

"Why would I say that?" Elsa asked. "Just because some people are monsters doesn't mean that you shouldn't be free to go where you please. You're one of the strongest people I know, Honeymaren, and you don't need me to protect you."

Honeymaren sniffled again, smiling at Elsa and feeling quite happy that she believed in her.

"But if you ever do, just know that I'll be there," said Elsa.

"I know, it's just... even though it was no trouble for you, I still feel bad that you had to come out and save me."

"There's no shame in needing saving," said Elsa. "Even I've needed saving before. My sister saved me twice. You have to follow your heart, Honeymaren. If the unknown is calling to you, you should go to it, even if there's danger out there."

Honeymaren felt encouraged by Elsa's words, but she still trembled when the memory of what had happened echoed in her mind. Even though Elsa had saved her, she couldn't help but think about what could have happened if that salvation hadn't come.

"I'm not sure I'll be going out alone again for a while," said Honeymaren, her voice trembling slightly. "I'm sure I will someday, but I don't know when. It just... doesn't feel safe, you know?"

Elsa nodded, and hugged Honeymaren again, tighter this time. Honeymaren sighed and nuzzled her face in Elsa's shoulder. Strangely, even though Elsa was pressed up against her, she didn't feel cold this time. In fact, the cold that Honeymaren had felt before had completely subsided. In its place was a comfort and warmth, a comfort of knowing she was safe and a warmth of having someone she loved close by.

"That's okay too," said Elsa. "It'll take some time for that to go away."

"Do you know how long?"

"I know how long for me, but not for you. I promise though, you won't be alone, unless you want to be."

"I... I don't want to be," said Honeymaren, though she hoped her words didn't betray her feelings, feelings that, while quite strong, she also wasn't entirely comfortable with sharing. She loved Elsa, she loved Elsa deeply, but she wasn't ready to let Elsa know that, and didn't know when she ever would be.

"Then you won't be," Elsa replied, ending the hug but keeping Honeymaren's hands in hers. "I'll be right here."

Honeymaren smiled and felt another tear go down the side of her face. Elsa reached up and wiped it away.

"I'll take us home now, if that's all right," said Elsa. Honeymaren nodded, and Elsa called forth the Nokk to take both of them back home to the enchanted forest. As Honeymaren climbed onto the beautiful water horse with Elsa, she could still feel that same warmth, the one she'd felt since the moment Elsa had embraced her after her rescue.

"Thank you again, Elsa," said Honeymaren, her arms wrapped around her friend's waist. "I think I'll be ready to go out alone again soon... I just need a little time to heal."

"Take all the time you need."

And as the Nokk carried the two women across the tundra, and as Honeymaren held Elsa tight, her face leaning against Elsa's back, she tried her best to push the trauma out of her mind, remembering that no matter what happened, Elsa would be there for her, protecting her like she protected all the Northuldra and every other living thing in the forest.

She knew that Elsa would have done the same thing for any other living being that needed her help. She wasn't special, and she wasn't Elsa's special one, at least not yet.

But as she once again felt the cool wind against her face, while also feeling the warmth of Elsa's body and also of her compassion, she found herself entertaining those thoughts once more.

_Maybe she's a spirit and I'm just a human. _

_But she's a human too, and she's also my friend._

_And someday, I'll tell her how I feel. _

That day wouldn't be today, but Honeymaren knew it would be soon, and as she looked up and saw Elsa smiling back at her, she knew that there was at least a small chance that Elsa felt the same way.

And even before Elsa had come to save her, Honeymaren felt nothing but warmth when she was near, no matter how much ice and snow surrounded her.

_I love you, _thought Honeymaren. For the briefest of moments, her lips traced her thoughts, just as Elsa started to look away.


End file.
